Large organized bag for heavy packer under $50

[lisajay]

I'm hoping someone can help me find the bag of my dreams. LOL. I know exactly what I want, but don't know which bag will meet my requirements.
I'm a very heavy packer, I always want to be prepared. I have a 14 mo old dd (and hope to have another on the way soon), and our Fisher price diaper bag finally fell apart. Even that wasn't big enough and hardly ever zipped it in the car. It was very cheaply made, and I'm sorry that I didn't do research ahead of time. So this time I thought I would come to all of you for advice. Here is a list of items I'm looking for in a bag. This is for an all day outing or for overnights at Grandma's.

1. Price, I can't afford anything over $50 or so. Dh would not be a happy camper. Which reminds me it can't be too girly or dh won't carry it.
2. It has to be big, as I do pack everything, for frequent day trips:
- , 14" baby doll, toy cell phone, and teether, that go with us EVERYWHERE or I will be sure to hear about it. Sometimes a board book
- change of clothes, plus an extra sweatshirt or jacket in case it gets cold
- personal care items such as baby tylenol, diaper rach ointment,wipes, 7 diapers,3 disposable changing pads, hair brush, hand sanitizer,toothbrush etc...
- snacks, bibs, spoon, gerber graduate meal, sippy cup, water bottle, and Dr Brown's wideneck bottle(for nap)
- my hand lotion, pain releaver, coupons and wallet, keys.

3. Needs to be comfortably caried over the shoulder so I can keep up with very active dd.
4. Good quality so that I won't have to buy another bag and listen to dh complain.
5. Very organized with roomy seperate compartments. I like to keep the food, clothes, and diaper areas seperate. I hate to have to rummage through to find everything all mixed together.
6. Preferably light colored lining so that it is easy to see what is what.
7. Wide opening so everything is easily accessible.
8. Leak proof, water resistant material to prevent spills. Can't stand when the diapers or clothes get wet or messy from drink and food.
9. An insulated compartment for keeping water warm for mixing formula, or for keeping premixed bottles cold. Or at least room to put a seperate insulated bag. This of course would be for the next baby, but I'm thinking ahead. My old bag was such a pain!
10. Freestanding even when opened

O.K. So as I'm reading this back to myself. I see that I seriously am an overpacker, lol. A couple of ideas that I had were the L.E. Do-it-all (would this be big enough for a baby and toddler?) or Triple Compartment Diaper Pack. Or the Lands End Deluxe Diaper Bag (only available at Ebay-not sure how I feel about ordering from ebay?).

One Step Ahead's High Performance Backpack Diaper Bag(if there is a big sale) or the Overnighter

Perhaps one of the Eddie Bauer bags directly from the company as the ones in the stores actually are not made by Eddie Bauer they are only licensed to use the name. They are not as good quality, or so I've heard.
Out of the bags I've listed I think I'm leaning towards the new Lands End Do-it-all bag. That is if you all think it is big enough.
Any other suggestions, as well as pics of bags would be appreciated. I live out in the sticks and there are no good stores to be found in my area without traveling an hour or so. Unfortunately many of the websites particularly Lands End and EB only give pics of the outside.
I've read some of the posts here and can see how easy it would be to have quite a collection of bags. I'm thinking after this, I'm going to need to find a little bag too for quick trips. I'll have to wait awhile or dh will have a fit.
Thanks in advance for all your help.
LJ

[audball]

Many folks here have had a lot of luck with the L.L. Bean diaper bag..and I think it's within your budget fitting most of your criteria :)!
ETA: You can also opt for the Large Touring Bag and if you can get your own changing pad, it's even less expensive..

[smbirth]

Not to play devil's advocate, but I think the LE Do it All is $29.50 and the LE Little Tripper is $19.50, so you could have both and it would be just under $50 (not including shipping and handling)

I only have the LE Little Tripper, it is great for short trips, very well made, cant beat it.

For all that you are carrying and the possibility of another little one, the Do it All would be great, or maybe the LE backpack??

Just dont get into trouble with DH :) We want to still see you coming around here for the next bag!!!

[smbirth]

Me again!! LOL

I just ventured over the the Lands End website and on their overstocks bag they have the Classic Do it All for $11.50, however it is burnt orange. Heck, I might even get one for that price!!

Then you could have a big bag (11.50) and the LT (19.50) and DH will be impressed with your bargaining power!!!

When DH says anything, I bring him here and the the Yahoo babybags board and show him how really ADDICTED I could be and how expensive the bags COULD be, and he gets quiet. Actually he hardly says anything because I try to get good deals!!

Let us know what you decide---

Just call me an enabler--- :)

Sheri
Momma to Nathaniel
9-15-04

[mommato2boys]

I would second the LE DIA bag....and for $11.50, the classic one might be a great buy!!!! orange is a great color too! For the money, the quality is great!!!!
I am an overpacker too! Welcome to the club!!! I always think it is better to be prepared than regret not bringing something! I have a kelty kids backpack that I am currently using, it holds alot too...but it is the older model, I think the newer one is a little smaller. But I can't remember the price range so it might be out of budget....
The landsend is a great bag, I say go for it!!!!

[sophiesmom]

I agree w/ the LE do it all. I used mine w/ my 2 kids, it was great. My bag was older, but had 2 separate zip compartments (1 side was for diapers/wipes other clothes/snacks), a front compartment for creams, etc, 2 side pockets for bottles, and a separate back pocket for a HUGE changing pad. (also, once i lost mine and LE sent me one free!). It wipes clean easily (I would never want a diaperbag I would have to machine wash somewhat frequently). $11.50 is a great price!!

You could also check out the LE backpack, I hear it's really big, but at least you'd have 2 hands free!

Now that they are older (4&2) I use medium backpack.

Good luck!

[JennyLynn]

I have a LE do-it-all that looks to be the same version as the one that's on the overstock page (they have made various versions over the years). Just wanted to comment that, if it is the same as mine, it doesn't have all the features you are looking for.

Mine does have lots of elastic, mesh pockets along the sides. Some of the pockets are tall and narrow, so small stuff falls to the bottom and is hard to get out. The main area is just one big open compartment without any dividers. The lining and pockets are black, so it's very hard to see what you're looking for. There is not an insulated or leak-proof compartment for carrying food/bottles. Also, the strap isn't balanced well for when I carry this bag stuffed full - the bag gets top-heavy and tips over. And if it's not stuffed full, it is a little bit flimsy/floppy.

That said, this is a very sturdy and attractive bag, and my DH will carry it without complaint. I have used it myself for overnight trips where my organization needs aren't as important, and it's fine. It just doesn't sound like it has what you are looking for.

Jenny

[tobycat]

I have the Lands End DIA in burnt orange (the $11.50 bag on the overstocks page). I used that for a weekend at Grandma & Grandpa's house. I think it is a great bag, but I definitely could not carry it full and call it comfortable. Actually no bag with that much stuff in it sounds comfy to me! Could you leave some of the stuff in the car and carry a smaller bag? How about using clear plastic bags (from the cosmetic section at Target) to help out with the organization?

[lisajay]

Woops I replied to this but lost it...
Anyway, I have decided that I'm going to get the LE Do-it-all, and spring for the newer bag with the extra conveniences. I'm real tempted to get the burn orange bag for the $ what a bargain! After dh gets used to that then I will go back ever so quietly and get the LT. The bag I have now for quick trips is a teeny snoopy bag.
Hopefully another baby will come along, we waited 4 yrs for number 1. If so I will be getting a LE or LLB backpack for when the are older. I can see how easy this is to get hooked on diaper bags. I can see pretty soon I will be posting here with my bag list too.
In the meantime I really like the idea of using plastic bags to help in the organization of things. I have a bunch of the gallon size zip locks that will work very well. Also, it makes alot of sense to keep a bag in the car as well. The only thing is I had a problem before when I left diapers in the bag in the car, where the diapers would swell as if they were wet. Something to do with the humidity in summer I guess? In the winter perhaps because the temperature extremes you get the car nice and toasty with the heater and then the temps drops. I live in Upstate New York and the weather gets 20 below sometimes. Has anyone else had a problem leaving their diapers in the car. Usually on day trips I leave the big bag in the car anyway and just throw the snoopy bag under the stroller. Perhaps instead of carrying a seperate diaper bag on those trips, I will just keep a diaper, wipes,and disposable changing pad in a ziploc then I can just take that out of the bag and put it under the stroller. I hate carrying more than one bag.
Thanks everyone for all the input. It was all very helpful. I will let you know how it all works out, and how my collection is growing.
;-) BTW, is this all that you collect? Or do you have purse (or other) collections as well.
Lisa

[lisajay]

I haven't ordered the Do-It-All bag yet. Does anyone know if it has an insulated portion for bottles. I don't believe it does. If not, do you think there will be room for a bottle pack that has an icepack and a couple of bottles? It's not so much of an issue with DD because she is older, but when she had to have several bottles a day, it was a real pain to have to pack a seperate insulated bag. Although perhaps it is a necessity.
How does everyone else carry there premixed formula for an all day trip. An insulated sleeve wouldn't keep it that cold for very long without some sort of icepack. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
LJ

[tobycat]

It does not have an insulated pocket. I carry a really (really) old Eddie Bauer insulated lunch bag with ice pack if I need to take bottles. It is about the size of large "brown bag lunch". Someone posted yesterday about babysherpa bottle sleeves, but the website wasn't working for me. I would also think that an ice pack would be the safest way to go if you are premixing bottles. Can you take the powdered formula (using cute dispenser from Target) and a bottle of water?

Candice

[lisajay]

Hello all,
I just wanted to let everyone know that the Lands End Do-it-all is perfect for me. The wide mouth feature of the bag is great, and there are so many pockets to put everything in. At first I thought the bag was going to be too heavy. It had a little weight to it before packed because of the frame work of the wide mouth feature. It turned out not to be a problem. I don't actually cary it for long periods of time, just from house to car to stroller It also fits in the basket of my stroller (Graco Quatro Tour). It has such nice organization I usually keep my dd's toiletries in the bag full time, so it is ready to go at a moments notice.
The outer bottle pockets hold her very large insulated sippy cups, and a wide mouth Dr Brown's bottle(for naps). Her bottles only contain water now so being insulated isn't really an issue. Although when the next baby comes (hopefully) I will probably just use powder and room temp water for the formula. The bag certainly has enough room for either the powder dispenser or an insulated bottle bag. Who knows next time maybe I will be able to breastfead without any supplemental bottles. That would be so much easier.
Thanks everyone for helping me make this decision. I couldn't be happier with the bag

[smbirth]

I am so glad you like it!! It is great when we find something that works well for our individual needs!! :-)